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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2009 Oct;6(4):A122.
Epub 2009 Sep 15.

Randomized controlled trial of a mailed toolkit to increase use of body mass index percentiles to screen for childhood obesity

Barbara A Dennison  1 , Joseph Nicholas, Rachel de Long, Megan Prokorym, Ian Brissette
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Randomized controlled trial of a mailed toolkit to increase use of body mass index percentiles to screen for childhood obesity

Barbara A Dennison et al. Prev Chronic Dis. 2009 Oct.

Abstract

Introduction: Despite epidemic increases in childhood obesity rates, many providers fail to diagnose obesity. Body mass index (BMI)-for-age percentiles are the recommended screening test. We evaluated whether mailing a toolkit to physicians would increase use of sex-specific BMI-for-age percentiles to screen for childhood obesity.

Methods: We assigned a random sample of family physicians and pediatricians from New York State's medical licensing database to either intervention or control groups in the summer of 2004. At baseline and at follow-up, we sent physicians a survey that asked how often they used various screening methods to identify childhood obesity. Between the surveys, we sent physicians in the intervention group a toolkit that consisted of professional guidelines for childhood obesity screening, a tool for calculating BMI, BMI-for-age growth charts, and educational information.

Results: At follow-up, more physicians in the intervention group than in the control group reported using BMI percentiles to screen for childhood obesity. Compared with physicians in the control group, physicians in the intervention group had a larger increase in their routine use of BMI percentiles to screen children aged 2 to 5, 6 to 11, and 12 to 20 years, although the differences in the older 2 groups did not attain statistical significance.

Conclusion: Directly mailing an educational toolkit to physicians can have a small but positive effect on clinical practice.

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Figures

Flow chart showing randomization of 224 physicians in the intervention group and 225 in the control group
Figure 1
Selection, randomization, and inclusion of physicians licensed in New York State for survey on using body mass index-for-age percentiles to screen for childhood obesity.
Bar graph
Figure 2
Percentage of New York State physicians who reported routine (always or most of the time) use of body mass index-for-age percentiles to screen for childhood obesity, by children's age group
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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